I have been very stubborn in avoiding chemicals as much as possible. I just laid down a heart pine floor in my kitchen and utility room. I chose to go with wood because the house is 85 years old, and the floor is uneven. And I managed to find a source for heart pine, to replace the heart pine that was already there, but beyond saving.
In other rooms, where I pulled up carpet to expose heart pine, I had water-based polyurethane applied, but I very much don't like the smell that even the water-based gives off.
I couldn't find carnauba floor wax that didn't include anonymous petroleum products, so - I bought raw carnauba (and some beeswax). Unfortunately, I've had issues with the formulation, with the application, and with cleaning. At this point, I don't have a good formulation for rewaxing, either. The floor is glossy in a few little areas, and dull and spotty everywhere else.
I found various formulations on the web, and eventually learned that olive oil is good because it contains a high proportion of oleic acid. However, I have only sporadically achieved a high gloss (one sample board is absolutely perfect), and I don't recall exactly what I used for the best example. Also, I've found that I can clean up spots and achieve a beautiful gloss, by rubbing it with an old towel, hard. Really hard. A small orbital hand buffer does nothing.
I really don't want to use polyurethane, but I can't leave it the way it is; I don't have the strength to go over the whole floor by hand. Any recommendations on formulations, application, or cleaning?
Oh, and using "boiled" linseed oil before waxing is out; it ended up way too dark and too red. Maybe tung oil; right now the floor has a very nice amber look, which will of course darken and redden with time.
In other rooms, where I pulled up carpet to expose heart pine, I had water-based polyurethane applied, but I very much don't like the smell that even the water-based gives off.
I couldn't find carnauba floor wax that didn't include anonymous petroleum products, so - I bought raw carnauba (and some beeswax). Unfortunately, I've had issues with the formulation, with the application, and with cleaning. At this point, I don't have a good formulation for rewaxing, either. The floor is glossy in a few little areas, and dull and spotty everywhere else.
I found various formulations on the web, and eventually learned that olive oil is good because it contains a high proportion of oleic acid. However, I have only sporadically achieved a high gloss (one sample board is absolutely perfect), and I don't recall exactly what I used for the best example. Also, I've found that I can clean up spots and achieve a beautiful gloss, by rubbing it with an old towel, hard. Really hard. A small orbital hand buffer does nothing.
I really don't want to use polyurethane, but I can't leave it the way it is; I don't have the strength to go over the whole floor by hand. Any recommendations on formulations, application, or cleaning?
Oh, and using "boiled" linseed oil before waxing is out; it ended up way too dark and too red. Maybe tung oil; right now the floor has a very nice amber look, which will of course darken and redden with time.